This weekend promises excellent racing for gig rowers with two Championship events taking place in Cornwall
Rowers from across the country will head to Saltash for the Mixed Championships on Saturday and then to Newquay Harbour for the U16 Championships on Sunday.
Over six hundred rowers are due at Saturday's event (13th July) which is being hosted by Caradon Gig Club and forms part of the Saltash Regatta celebrations along Saltash Waterside.
The mixed races will see crews consisting of three men and three women. The format will include Senior (16+), Vets (40+) and Super Vets categories (50+) with over 100 crews of six rowers
and a cox due to battle it out on the river Tamar.
Caradon dominated the Vets and Super Vets categories in 2023 with Coverack taking first place in the Senior and Fowey taking 1st and 2nd place in the U16’s.
Claire Tripp from the Cornish Pilot Gig Association said “Gig rowing is one of a few sports that enable men and women to compete together.
This format sometimes throws up surprising results and can mean fathers and daughters, mothers and sons along with husbands and wives rowing in the same boat"!
The Under 16’s championship on Sunday (14th July) will be hosted by Newquay Rowing Club.
24 crews will compete alongside Newquay Harbour allowing plenty of opportunities for spectating from the harbour wall or the Fly Cellars.
Last year's winners were the crew from St Marys on Scilly. Library video of this event is available for free use.
Cornish Pilot Gigs are 32 foot long traditionally built open wooden boats rowed by six crew and steered by a coxswain. The sport has grown enormously since its revival
in the 80’s, there are now eight thousand rowers in 90 clubs spread across the UK, Europe and America.
Crews will be coming from as far afield as Essex to take part this weekend.
These events will make for a spectacular weekend of racing and you are welcome to send a representative or call us for updates.
Pirates Keen to Put Up a Good Performance
